Just your archetypal farmer’s wife.

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What do you think of when you think Farmer’s Wife?

Go on, have a think.

This is what I think.

Rosy cheeks, a rather plump old-ish woman with tight curly hair.She is wearing a piny. She has rough hands and kneads bread.

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She churns butter, knits, feeds chickens, has a wicker basket for eggs. Wears a head scarf. She probably milks cows on a tiny little stool.

She spins wool from fleeces and knits by the fire side at night. She bakes every day and doesn’t wear make-up.

Some of you won’t be surprised with this post. I asked my Twitter followers and fans on my Facebook page what they thought and they all thought like me.

We got cakes, wellies, hard work, feeding the chickens, breakfasts round the table and an Aga.

I don’t feel like your typical farmer’s wife. I was brought up in a town, I work in a city. I wear make-up, paint my nails and like pink, leopard print and glitter. But I am one.

I try to bake to fit in with what we all think is the archetypal farmer’s wife. We have a five-foot by five-foot kitchen table. We have shaker-style kitchen units and, while I don’t have an Aga, I have a beautiful range cooker. I do have rough hands sometimes and I can knit (badly).

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I’ve tried the farmer’s wife ‘look’ and I do quite like it. I’ve got a green gilet that matches my wellies and, just putting that on makes me feel like a farmer’s wife.

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I would like a Joules field coat and some Hunter farm boots  and I would really, really love a Range Rover.  But even if I don’t ever get these things, I will still be a farmer’s wife, I will just have to continue with my ‘proper’ no-frills wellies, my green gilet from Sainsburys and my MPV.

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These days, farmer’s wives still do all the things they did years ago, cook, clean, look after the children, look after animals, but now they have taken on many other jobs too. Most of them work outside the farm, do the paper work and do some of the jobs that years ago were reserved solely for men.

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One of the comments on my Facebook page said a farmer’s wife is: “someone adaptable with ever varied tasks…though they always include cooking much wholesome goodness and washing tons of clothes soiled with earth, poo and grease;).” But guess what? Katie, my cousin in America who wrote this, is also a farmer’s wife and she really does hit the nail on the head.

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Next time you think of a farmer’s wife, think again. When I finally believe that I am one (a real one, not just pretend) I will try and get rid of the old stereotype.

 

14 Comments

  1. Thought provoking. I love how you always have a smile on your face. It’s a tiring yet rewarding job. I will admit though I don’t think it’s something I could do. x

  2. My mom and grandma were both farmers’ wives! I just thought that everyone knew how to grow/make/fix things but now that I’m a mom myself I realize how many things they could do (that I can’t!)

  3. Great post. I was one of those ones on twitter to reply to you so very interested in what others thought. Stereotypes are these things that we seem to hinge on in society, we all like to put people in pigeon holes. It’s nice to read that you are trying to break these down. I’m a nurse by occupation and again that is a very stereotyped job. Xx

  4. Fab post! I used to work for a farmer’s wife… she owned a care home, had 3 young sons and a farm to help run, too. I still have no idea how she found enough hours in the day!

  5. It really is interesting the way people put others in boxes and make them a ‘type’. What a great post. You and Fiona from Coombemill are far from stereotypical! Thank you for linking to PoCoLo x

  6. Reall interesting and like many many stereotypes, they just don’t cover everything do they? Love that you are still you as well as being a farmer’s wife. Great post and love the pics 🙂 #allaboutyou xx

  7. I love this post Emma. Stereotypes are ridiculous. People are so different and it’s fantastic! Plus farming and cottage gardens are very in vogue at the moment!

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